Perry Farrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Perry Farrell
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Farrell performing with Dave Worsham in 2012
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| Born |
Peretz Bernstein
March 29, 1959 Queens, New York, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1981–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Etty Lau
(m. 2002) |
| Children | 3 |
| Musical career | |
| Also known as | DJ Peretz |
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Perry Farrell (born Peretz Bernstein; March 29, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician referred to as the "Godfather of Alternative Music". Farrell began his career with Psi Com in the early 1980s.
Farrell founded Lollapalooza, which has evolved into an annual festival of multiple genres.
Farrell has also released a number of solo albums, and also launched a number of other music related projects, including Kind Heaven Orchestra, Satellite Party and Heaven After Dark.
Contents
Early life
Peretz Bernstein was born in the Queens borough of New York City on March 29, 1959. He was raised in a Jewish family, his mother was an artist and his father was a jeweler. When Farrell was three, his mother died. He spent his grade-school years in Woodmere, Long Island, before his family relocated to Florida.
Farrell's family moved to North Miami Beach, Florida when he was a teenager. At the age of seventeen, after graduating from high school, Farrell wanted adventure in his life and caught a bus to California. Aside from some belongings, Farrell took a surfboard and art materials. He stated in interviews since that he really wanted to focus on surfing, but had at that point in his life also started taking an interest in music with influences from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Sly and the Family Stone and James Brown.
He spent time as a club singer for a short period in the early 1980s while living in Los Angeles. Farrell also stated that he worked construction, waited tables and spent some of his time in LA living in his car. While living in California, he began listening to David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.
Music career
2009–present: Recent career & Kind Heaven Orchestra
In 2018, Farrell announced that he would be the frontman for a new music project, the Kind Heaven Orchestra. Farrell's wife Etty Farrell was on backing vocals, Matt Chamberlain of Pearl Jam, Chris Cheney and keyboardist Matt Rohde also part of the lineup. Kind Heaven Orchestra debuted at the first ever Bill Graham Festival of Lights.
In October 2018, Farrell signed with BMG Rights Management, which released his second studio album Kind Heaven in 2019. The demand for new music by Farrell led to the album reaching 2nd position in the Heatseekers album chart. Metacritic gave the album an aggregate score of 70, meaning the album generally received positive reviews.
In February 2022, Farrell launched Heaven After Dark; each event combines music and sensation, visual stimulation, and supports the nurture of up-and-coming artists. Later that year, Heaven After Dark expanded to become its own record label where artists are treated more fairly than traditional models. The label has since gone on to release “Turn Over The World” (Idles remix), Etty Lau Farrell’s "He’s A Rebel” Pink Panda Remix (The Crystal's number 1 single), Telling Stories & Until The Night Fades which was a collaboration between Etty Lau Farrell and award-winning English producer and DJ Hyper in 2023.
In May 2022, Farrell announced he would be releasing a new single titled Mend, with Kind Heaven Orchestra.
Lollapalooza
In 1991, Farrell created Lollapalooza. It has since become a defining cultural event for alternative music enthusiasts worldwide, showcasing diverse talents and fostering a global community of music and art lovers. Lollapalooza has also become a platform for social change, encouraging activism and environmental consciousness. The festival has since expanded into eight territories around the world including Chicago, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, Sweden and India.
Kidzapalooza
In 2005, music producer Tor Hyams approached Farrell with the idea of creating a kids' stage with family-friendly fare at Lollapalooza. Kidzapalooza came to be that year, produced by Hyams and continues to this day with guests like Slash, Patti Smith and LeAnn Rimes appearing in the lineup of artists.
PurimPalooza 2006
In 2006, Farrell performed at Purimpalooza, which celebrates the Jewish holiday of Purim. It was a concert for all ages and presented different Jewish musical groups. It took place in Ruby Skye in San Francisco, and featured bands including Moshav, Chutzpah, and Matisyahu.
Work outside music
Farrell has also made a docudrama titled Gift released in 1993 which featured various songs by Farrell and included Farrell's then-girlfriend Casey Niccoli. Gift was released to VHS home video by Warner Bros but never released to DVD.
He joined forces with Tom Morello and his Axis of Justice tour to raise money for the homeless in Los Angeles and together they both physically removed debris in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to assist local musicians.
Farrell is an environmentalist. He met British prime minister Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street on January 31, 2007, to discuss global warming. He presented Blair with a CD of the Satellite Party track "Woman in the Window".
He worked with Global Cool in 2007 to help promote green living.
Farrell has worked to bring music festivals to Israel, including Lollapalooza. "Lollapalooza Israel" was to take place in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on August 20-22, 2013. However, the event fell through, with the organizers citing financial concerns and lack of talent willing to perform in Israel. In 2009, Farrell sang at a "benefit for victims of terror and a solidarity event for Israel", an invitation-only party named "Stand with Israel" and held at 7 World Trade Center (which is by Ground Zero in New York City), alongside Alan Dershowitz and Jared Kushner.
Personal life
Farrell met his wife, Etty Lau Farrell, while touring; she was a backing dancer on the tour in 1997. They married in 2002. Farrell has three children, two with his wife and one from a previous relationship.
Discography
Psi Com
- 1985 Psi Com EP
Solo
- 1999 Rev (Compilation)
- 2001 Song Yet to Be Sung
- 2019 Kind Heaven
- 2021 The Glitz; The Glamour (box set)
Satellite Party
- 2007 Ultra Payloaded
Miscellaneous musical appearances and collaborations
- Sampled on the track "Ringfinger" on the Nine Inch Nails album Pretty Hate Machine (1989).
- Featured on the track "Ripple" on a tribute/environmental benefit to the Grateful Dead called Deadicated (1991).
- Contributed vocals to the song "Hot Lava" on Chef Aid: The South Park Album (1998).
- Contributed vocals to the song "Children of Night" along with Exene Cervenka for the Doors tribute album Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors (2000).
- Featured on the track "King Z" on Mad Professor's "best of" album Method to the Madness (2005).
- Featured on the track "Time of your Life" on Paul Oakenfold's album Bunkka (2002).
- Contributed vocals to the song "The Patience Bossa" along with Debbie Harry for the compilation album A World of Happiness (2004).
- Featured on the track "Revolution Solution" on Thievery Corporation's album The Cosmic Game (2005).
- Featured on the track "Dogstar" on Hybrid's album I Choose Noise (2006).
- Contributed the song "Go All the Way (Into the Twilight)" to the Twilight Soundtrack (2008).
- Contributed the song "Nasty Little Perv" to NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack (2009).
- Contributed the song "New Moon" to the compilation album A World of Happiness (2009 re-release only).
- Contributed vocals to the song "Killing Time" on Infected Mushroom's album Legend of the Black Shawarma (2009).
- Featured on the track "Honey If You Love Him" on Erasure singer Andy Bell's album Non-Stop (2010).
- Featured on the track "Blink" on the Zed's Dead's album Somewhere Else (2014).
- Featured on the track "Got to Get You into My Life" on the Paul McCartney tribute album The Art of McCartney (2014).
- Featured on the tracks "I Got a Line on You" and "One/Jump into the Fire" on the self-titled album from the supergroup Hollywood Vampires (2015).
- Featured on the track "I Really Blew It" on the Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders album Get the Money (2019).
- Featured on the track "Rock On" on the Marc Bolan tribute album AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs Of Marc Bolan & T. Rex (2020).
- Featured on the track "Oh the Sunn!" on the Avalanches album We Will Always Love You (2020)
- Featured on the track "So Trendy" with Sleaford Mods on the album UK Grim (2023)
